The Burgomeister: Old ghosts and heavy consciences

Is this for you?

If you like movies that feel like a dusty play pulled out of an attic, you’ll probably find something to love here. It’s not for the action crowd, obviously. If you need pacing that moves faster than a slow crawl, stay far away. It’s a mood piece for people who don’t mind watching a man sweat in a room for an hour and a half. 🕯️

Leslie Victor is the guy holding it all together. He plays the Burgomeister with this specific, twitchy guilt that makes you almost feel bad for him, even when he’s being a total heel. He’s got this way of looking at his own front door like it’s a prison gate. It’s a performance that doesn’t shout, which is rare for the era.

The plot is simple—maybe too simple for some. Fifteen years ago, he robbed a Polish merchant to pay his mortgage. Now, the past is knocking. It’s the kind of setup that could have been a total snooze, but the tension is weirdly tight. You know the reckoning is coming, and watching him try to outrun it while playing the family man is just… exhausting in the best way.

There is this one scene near the fireplace where he’s just staring at the embers. The silence goes on for so long I started checking my own watch. It wasn’t boring, though. It was just… heavy. It felt like the air in the room actually got thinner.

Sometimes the supporting cast feels a bit stiff, like they’re waiting for their turn to say their lines rather than actually listening. It’s not quite as natural as the energy in Diamond Jim, but it gets the job done. The set design is also delightfully cramped, which adds to the feeling that he’s got nowhere left to hide.

Random notes from the notebook:

• The lighting in the second act is surprisingly moody. Lots of deep shadows.
• I really wanted them to show more of the town, but the budget clearly had other plans.
• The dialogue is very "written," if you know what I mean. Nobody talks like that in real life, but it works in this weird, stagey world.
• There’s a moment with a clock ticking that is a bit cliché, sure, but it still worked on me.

It’s not perfect. The whole thing feels a bit like it’s straining under the weight of its own morality. It’s definitely not as zippy as Dress Parade, but that’s fine. Some movies are meant to make you feel like you need a shower after, and this is one of them. 🌧️

Don’t go in expecting fireworks. Go in expecting a guy who realizes he’s trapped by his own wallet. It’s a strange, quiet little film that stuck to my ribs long after the credits rolled. Not bad at all.